''A second heart...''

''Kierra?''

It was certainly a far-fetched idea.

Still, it was the only plausible solution to the current dilemma.

Once Kierra succeeded in creating another heart, even if it didn't come close to the real thing, she could draw a lot more mana than usual. Of course, there were numerous attempts by wizards to execute this idea, but it had never been done.

Inserting another heart into the body would disrupt the organs as a whole, and connecting it to all the blood vessels was also challenging. Substitute the second heart with another organ?

That could work, yet there was still a long-term risk of crushing one's insides once the circle piled up. Inside the body was a no-go.

'If so, how about another heart that connects to the vessels externally?'

As the archwizard pondered, she suddenly noticed the pink puppy settling comfortably between her chest. For a moment, she felt something, looking at Diamante's burning eyes.

''How about... embedding it on the skin...''

''Huh? What are you talking about, Kierra?''

''I'm trying to make another heart.''

''What? Wasn't that proven to be impossible?''

The archwizard gently stroked the phoenix's fluffy head, adoring the round, innocent eyes.

''It's not impossible. No one has ever done it before. Just that.''

''Heh... is it dangerous?''

''Maybe.''

Although worried, Diamante only encouraged her lover. In her mind, Kierra was always a dependable woman, so she trusted her not to put herself in unreasonable danger.

Being a supportive partner—that was the key to getting points!

So, wagging her(imaginary) tail, Diamante excitedly nuzzled at her lover.

''Do you need anything, Kierra?''

''Hm? Maybe a core I can use for the new heart?''

Traditionally, drawing mana from external sources was accepted as a legitimate method for those who lacked capacity but were proficient in executing spells. The most used medium for that was mana stones.

As its name implied, mana stones were excellent conductors for wizards, yet they were, unfortunately, quite fragile. A mana stone would crumble after only one or two usages, which immediately disqualified it from the competition.

A more expensive yet sustainable option was jewels. Although generally processing a lower affinity with mana, they could be used repeatedly for a while. Not to mention, when under extreme pressure, depending on their quality, they could be destroyed as well.

''Then, I'd need a mold to swap jewels swiftly...''

Still, how would she get around the mana circles? They needed something to spin around. Another layer of jewel beneath the dispensable 'heart,' perhaps?

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

'This got complicated quickly, huh.'

As the archwizard massaged her temple, a shape of pink popped up within her vision again. Grinning, Diamante cupped Kierra's cheeks with her palms.

''Just use the diamond I gave you!''

''No, what are you...''

Indeed, the pink diamond Kierra got from Diamante was of the highest grade in existence. After all, it was cultivated from ancient times at the heart of the phoenixes—the Crystal Volcano. Even compared to the best jewels discovered on asteroids and other planets, this one was superior.

In other words, there was nothing more suitable for a second heart than the pink diamond.

''...''

Of course, the archwizard knew that from the beginning, yet she wrote it off right after. How could she use such a precious item as a tool?

This time, those thoughts were fully displayed on her gorgeous face, and it made the phoenix princess indescribably happy. As for her?

Having her gift be a permanent part of Kierra was an honor!

''Look, the diamond is super good at storing mana and stuff, right?''

''...Yeah.''

''And it's from the Crystal Volcano! I can still feel a close tie with it, so I can imbue it with a spell of immortality as well!''

More and more, the archwizard became convinced.

Even an ordinary phoenix feather could help a person escape death once, so if the princess of such a miraculous race were to imbue her essence into the jewel...

It would truly be an indestructible heart.

''Y'know, it's kinda romantic, too.'' Diamante shyly added. ''It's like having a part of me in you.''

''...''

Blushing, Kierra kissed her puppy-like lover, taking her by surprise.

''...Alright. I'll use it well.''

----------------------------------------

The pink diamond didn't have a name.

Brushing her immaculate skin against the quilt, Kierra raised the jewel in the air, showering it in the mellow light above. It was of an octahedron shape and around the size of a large grape.

A light pink color as the base, it gleamed with a multitude of other shiny shades as it received light.

''This... this is my love for you!''

Even now, Kierra could vividly remember the moment Diamante gave it to her. During the period of her heart's turbulence after breaking up with August, it was the phoenix princess's overwhelming, tender love that saved the archwizard.

''...''

Even now, gazing at that naive, childish side profile gave her a fuzzy warmth.

Not as hot as the sun, yet more comforting than morning sunlight.

''...Maiden's Love.''

From now on, she decided to call it 'Maiden's Love.'

A few days later.

After calculating the numbers and experimenting with different approaches, Kierra finally found a plausible way to embed the jewel in her body.

This time, she was sitting in the middle of the living space, surrounded by curious harem members.

No one questioned the reason they were here. After all, Kierra, of all people, was going to get her major power-up at this moment. Even if they couldn't really get the nitty-gritty of it, they knew it would be a spectacle.

''Let's get ready.''

Putting her treasured witch hat aside, Kierra gently held out the Maiden's Love.

Since she had decided to put it just above her cleavage—between the collarbones, the archwizard lowered the shoulders of her dress, stopping right before anything too inappropriate was shown.

This earned a few gasps among the audience, yet she didn't pay any mind to them.

For now, she was razor-focused on the jewel.

''Whew...''

As she closed her eyes and relaxed her mana veins, a sense of equilibrium spread. On the outside, since she didn't try to contain her mana as usual, much of it came flowing out like a waterfall of smoke.

Manipulating the energy present in her chest, Kierra slowly opened a cavity for the jewel to enter. Soon, her bone and skin morphed accordingly.

Once that was done, the Maiden's Love was brought into its new place, carried by a simple stroke of telekinesis.

A cold, alien feeling descended.

After the flesh closed in, enveloping the jewel until only a portion of it was visible, it was time to move to the next stage. The archwizard's inner mana veins were split, one by one, before being connected to the new 'heart.'

This was all done manually and meticulously.

Time ticked by, and drops of sweat began to form on Kierra's forehead just as gleaming blue veins began to run from other parts of her body to the jewel.

Seeing the archwizard's hardened expression, the others in the room also got anxious. Nevertheless, they knew they were witnessing something incredible.

By now, Kierra's blood vessels were connected to not two but three 'hearts.'

Ought to be difficult.

Eventually, the tedious process was completed. Kierra initially wanted to establish a few mana circles on this new heart as well, yet, given her physical state, it was probably wiser not to.

''Kierra!''

''Are you alright?''

''Here, a towel.''

''No, you idiot...! Why would you wipe her sweat?? It's so sexy!''

''...''

For now, seeing the pink heart pulsating with a constant beat satisfied the archwizard.